


Why Have You Summoned Me

by orionlethargy



Category: Eddsworld - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Attempted Murder, Demon AU, Demon Summoning, Demons, Misunderstandings, Modern Demons, Other, Relationship Issues, Slow Burn, demon tom
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-22
Updated: 2017-09-17
Packaged: 2018-11-17 09:54:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11273091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orionlethargy/pseuds/orionlethargy
Summary: Tord thinks he's getting exactly what he's looking for when he summons a demon named Thomas to help with his army. Thomas is not as helpful as he seems and now Tord is stuck with a demon roomate/potential love interest.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> im styill alive  
> am i really  
> no.  
> this will be updated. sometimes ? yea

Tord clinked the vial one last time as the last of the salt within poured out. He took a few steps back from what he had just made, admiring his work. The circle was big and decorated with various designs and letters. It looked akin to a pentagram but Tord knew it was so much more than that. 

Tord set the vial down and picked a book up from the huge pile he had composed. It was grey with purple designs engraved into the front. He wiped some of the dust off with his hoodie sleeve and started flipping through it. He knew where to find the page. Chapter 28, Page 306. Demons. 

Thomas.

 

Tord had discovered that the local library had an entire section on Demonology a few weeks back. All you would ever want to know and maybe a little more than that. Posession, Exorcism, Nature, Species, Summoning. Tord was interested in the last subset. He had been working on a secret project without his friends Edd or Matt's knowledge. From his apartment, he was running a small army. How he did it was a complete mystery. It was a product of his power-hungry nature and need for control. He wanted to be the most powerful, intimidating dictator this world has ever seen. And what better way to do that than have a demon under your control?

So here he was now. Making a summoning circle in his apartment to will a demon into his home. Tord wasn't afraid. Those hundreds of stories of summoning demons gone wrong didn't frighten him. He felt it was HIM the demon should be afraid of. 

Tord took a pocket knife out from his hoodie pocket and flipped it open. He took in a quick breath before slashing across his palm. He clenched his fist over the circle so blood would drip onto it. Tord sat down in front of the salt circle and took the book into his lap again. Thomas' chapter showed a supposed picture of him, a description of his power, and how to summon him. Tord chose him mostly on appearance. He was tall, spiky, and horrifying. Perfect. The only thing Tord didn't like about him was that the summoning ritual required all the lights to be off and six candles to be lit. He had tripped over his own two feet more than four times. 

Tord skimmed to the last of the instructions and read off the incantation. 

"Veniunt ad domum meam  
Venite ut copulare  
Traducem esse virtutis  
Ego nunc praecipiam tibi"

It didn't matter how badly he screwed up the pronunciation, it seemed, as a bright blue light suddenly shot up from inside the circle. Tord jumped up and stumbled back. 

The beacon of light grew brighter as the room seemed to shake. A dark substance began bubbling up from the floor. It bubbled higher and started to take on an almost human shape. It grew larger as the form grew taller. All of a sudden the light became blinding and Tord shut his eyes. When he opened them, the room was dark again. Completely dark. All the candles had gone out. Tord quickly fumbled for his phone and pulled it out of his pocket. He pressed the flashlight app and aimed it at the summoning circle. 

Inside of it was a tall man. He was wearing strange silver and purple clothes. He had large purple horns and long purple ears. His hands ended in black claws and a tail swayed behind him. Tord could see sharp teeth jutting over his bottom lip. He seemed to be covered in holes until Tord realized those were eyes. He was covered in black eyes that were identical to the same dark pair on his face. The demon tilted his head at Tord. He could feel the man's dark eyes looking him over. 

"Why have you summoned me?" Thomas asked. He had a gruff voice that seemed to echo. Tord stood frozen in shock. It had worked, the summoning worked and now there was a demon in his house and oh god he was regretting some of this. 

"I-you're Thomas. I mean-you ARE Thomas, right?" Tord asked.

"I am. And YOU'RE avoiding my question. You seem too young and..fragile to be dabbling in the realm of demons. What about me is of interest to you?" Thomas questioned.

"I'm not fragile." Tord snapped, stepping towards Thomas. "I know what I'm doing. I summoned you because I think you could help me with something. I need you and your power as an intimidation factor. For my Army." Tord stood himself up taller to try to look stronger.

"A general, are you?" Thomas stooped over Tord. Tord could see his face more clearly now. He'd read somewhere that demons were devilishly handsome. It seemed that rumor was true. "And what power are you hoping I possess?"

"I-well-" Tord dropped down to flip through his book again. His phone fell in the process and the two were shrouded in darkness. Tord froze as he heard Thomas' dark chuckle. He looked up and saw the black outline of Thomas sitting down. The candles that surrounded the circle suddenly flickered back to life and Tord could see again. Thomas had a smug expression on his face.

"What's so funny?" Tord snapped.

"You didn't even think to look into my powers?" Thomas snickered.

"N-no..why?" Tord asked, stomach sinking. He felt like he had just made a huge mistake. He had no clue what this demon was capable of. Tord could be dead in the next few seconds. But he suddenly remembered a small excerpt from the book. 

"You-you can't do anything to me in the circle. I know you can't." Tord said.

"You don't have to worry about me using my powers on you..because I don't have any." Thomas' voice dropped to a deadpan at the end.

Tord blinked.

"What?"

"I'm the lowest ranking demon there is. You really didn't research that well, did you?" Thomas asked. His voice had lost it's echo and was a lot more casual now. Now that Tord knew that Thomas was basically harmless, there was no reason to keep up the high and mighty demon act.

"I-you-what? You have to have-some kind of powers!" Tord stammered.

"I have a few. But it's all normal demon stuff. Posession, Invisibility, Energy Manipulation, Invulnerability, and that whole 'coming when you're called' thing. I'm really average." Thomas said. 

"This can't be happening." Tord whined. "I summoned you for nothing! You're useless to me!" He was suddenly slapped in the face by Thomas' tail. 

"Hey. I'm literally right here." Thomas pouted. Tord huffed.

"This is so stupid..I'm gonna have to summon a demon all over again." Tord said, grabbing some books from his pile and flipping through them. Thomas waited a moment before speaking up.

"Uh..you can't." 

"And why can't I?" Tord asked through gritted teeth.

"A house can't handle more than one demon. Something about..conflicting energies. Yeah, that sounds right. So the only demon you're gonna be dealing with for a while is me." Thomas said.

Tord groaned and slammed his head into the book.

"I never said I wouldn't help with your little army thing." Thomas said, tail swishing.

"…"

"You're friendly..what's your name, anyway?" Thomas asked.

"Aren't you not supposed to tell demons your name?" Tord said, looking up from the book. 

"Where'd you hear that?" Thomas said.

"No idea. I'm Tord. You're Thomas. Consider that our introduction." Tord said.

"You can call me Tom." Thomas said.

"I haven't even let you out of that circle yet and you're acting like we're friends." Tord said.

"Maybe I want to be your friend. Who knows?" Tom shrugged. "Oh, speaking of that, could you let me out of here?" 

"I suppose I can't keep you in there forever." Tord said in a defeated tone. He swept some of the salt away with his hand. All the candles went out. 

Tom immediately pounced onto Tord, knocking him over. Tom cackled, baring his sharp teeth.

"Never trust a demon." He growled. Tord stared at him in fear for a few seconds before Tom snorted and rolled off. 

"You're awfully spookable." Tom said. 

"And you're awfully tall. " Tord said. Tom was easily a head taller than him. 

"Intimidation factor. You should like it." Tom said, stretching. Tord rolled his eyes and flipped the lights back on. Tom looked just as intimidating in the light. But a little dorky. He was dressed in pale purple wrappings that were cuffed at the neck and wrists with silver. Tord noticed how his fangs were a little lopsided and different sizes. His long ears were more fluffy than scaly. His tail was longer than his body and dragged on the floor. 

It was kind of adorable. Yknow, for a 6-something foot tall demon. 

"Shouldnt you fix your hand?" Tom asked, gesturing to Tord's injured hand. "Wait, you humans can't regenerate. How do you fix it?" 

"It'll be fine. It stopped bleeding, I'll put a bandage on it later." Tord dismissed. "Why are you so worried?"

"Humans are so fragile. I don't want this to end up killing you or something." Tom said.

"It's not going to kill me, Tom." Tord reassured. Tom gave him a lingering look of concern before turning back to look around the house.

"What's in here?" Tom asked, peeking into Tord's room. Tord grabbed his arm and pulled him away. He was surprised to find that Tom was really warm. Almost feverishly so. Must be a side-effect of being born from hell. 

"No! You can't go in there. That's my room." Tord said.

"So where's my room?" Tom said.

"You don't have a room. Look-if you want to, you can sleep in the living room." Tord sighed.

Tom tilted his head. "Sleep?" 

Tord stared at him before pinching the bridge of his nose. "Okay..you can stay in my room for the night. But try anything.." He warned. Tom just blinked before going into Tord's room. Tord groaned and followed him in. 

Tom looked around the room curiously. 

"What are those symbols?" Tom asked, pointing at a various assortment of flags on the wall.

"Oh, they're flags. Nordic flag..Communist flag..ah, the flag for my army!" Tord explained.

"So they don't bear any summoning abilities? Weird." Tom said. He looked over at something sticking out from under Tord's bed. He crouched down and grabbed it, pulling it out.

"What's t-?" Tom said. Tord grabbed the toy out of his hand, face blushing furiously red.

"Woah, are you okay? Your face is all red." Tom said.

"Fine! Fine, thanks." Tord said, slipping the toy into his hoodie pocket. 

"…So what was that?" Tom questioned.

"Ask me when you're 18." Tord said.

"I am over two thousand years old." Tom said,

"Then don't ask me. Ever." Tord said. He sighed and crawled into bed. Tom looked at the bed quizzically. 

"Oh! It's a nest." Tom said. 

"Huh?" Tord asked.

"A nest. Yknow, somewhere soft you go to be safe and rest? It's made of your mate's clothes, usually, but..uh, I never had a mate. So it was all my own clothes." Tom explained.

"…Sure. This is a nest." Tord said.

"Okay. Nests are really personal and we aren't too well aquatinted, so..I'll just stay out here. Your mate may get mad if they smell someone else on you." Tom said.

"I don't have a mate. But, yeah. Just stay out there." Tord yawned. He snuggled into the blankets and dozed off, trying to ignore the demon staring at him.

He awoke early the next morning. Tord snuggled into the blankets, not wanting to be up. But his waking had already been noticed by Tom, who sat up and stretched. Had he rested on the floor the whole night? Tord didn't want to worry for Tom's wellbeing but that seemed a little harsh. 

Tord sat up to see that no, he hadn't. Tom had pulled out a bunch of clothes and blankets from Tord's closet and made a makeshift nest. Tord was about to yell at Tom for ruining his closet when he remembered what Tom said about using your mate's clothes to make a nest. He stared down at the demon who looked up at him sleepily. 

He didn't want to know the implications of that nest. What it meant about what Tom thought of him. Tord honestly thought demons were apathetic monsters. But seeing Tom looking so small and peaceful, curled up in his clothes..

Tord had a lot to learn.


	2. Old Demon, New Tricks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom doesnt know anything about humans so Tord has to teach him.  
> This is kind of a short chapter?? not really important

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pizza. pasta

"Okay, Tom. You have to-no, not there-thats not where-Tom-oh my god, stop."

Tom had been living with Tord for two days now. Those were quite possibly the longest days of Tord's life.

Turns out when youve lived in hell your whole life, you don't know much about human customs. 

Not knowing much being knowing nothing at all. 

So Tord decided to share his limited knowledge of social etiquette with Tom. It was going about as well as you'd think.

"No, Tom-okay, you've got it." Tord said. Tom was sitting at the kitchen table, holding a fork. He stared down at the utensil in confusion. 

"Okay..I'm holding it..what do I do now?" Tom asked. 

"Now you..uh..stick it into the food." Tord gestured to the pasta on Tom's plate. Tom stabbed into the pasta with what was probably more force than he needed. He managed to catch a few noodles and he smiled, bringing the fork up. 

"Okay.." Tom said.

"Now eat it." Tord said. 

Tom frowned, looking at the fork. "I..um..can't." 

"Tom, for the love of god it's just pasta. Please eat it." Tord said, putting his face in his hands.

"I don't know how my body's gonna react to pasta! I've never had human food, Tord." Tom said, putting the fork down. "And can you please not say that word? I'm kind of a demon. Remember that little detail?"

"Okay, smartass..why did I teach you this if you can't even eat it?" Tord demanded, running his hands down his face. "If you can't eat our food, what do you eat?"

"Tord. You have over ten books about demons. You should know what we eat!" Tom snapped. "We eat human souls." 

Tord jerked his head up. "Oh..that's right. Wait, you're not gonna try to attack me, are you?" 

"What? No." Tom said,

"But-you're stuck here, how are you going to feed? Aren't you going to eventually loose control from hunger?" Tord asked, scooting back in his seat.

"You do realize I can leave your apartment, right?" Tom asked. "I'm not literally confined to these walls."

"…Oh." Tord said. Tom snorted as Tord blushed with embarrassment. 

"And you say you're an army leader." Tom mused, twirling the fork around in the pasta. 

"Shut it." Tord snapped. "Let's teach you something else. Hm..I've got one. Social interaction. Since you plan to leave to feed, you need to know how to act."

"You want me to be polite so someone I'm just gonna kill?" Tom questioned.

"You're bound to talk to more people than just your victims. I have friends, remember?" Tord said.

Tom looked at him for a moment. "Why does the fact I kill to eat not bother you? Humans are supposed to be terrified of loosing their souls."

"I suppose if I was in danger of loosing my soul, I'd be scared, yes. But I don't care if it isn't me who's at risk." Tord said, shrugging. 

"Apathetic, huh?" Tom said, clicking his tongue. Tom wanted to add 'and greedy' but thought better of it.

"A bit. Let's get back on topic, shall we? Here..I'm going to simulate a scenario where you must have casual conversation." Tord took Tom's hand and led him over to the couch. The two sat down, Tom's tail curled around him and resting on his knees. 

"So..you like demons?" Tom asked.

"Not usually. I'd make an exception for you, though." Tord said. 

"Wait..in what scenario would someone be talking to a demon?" Tom asked, breaking the simulation. Tord sighed. 

"Didn't really think about that part…don't suppose you have a human form, do you?" Tord asked timidly. He expected Tom to say no, because he was already getting up to try out the next activity.

"Actually, I do." Tom said. Tord looked back at him in surprise. "Really?"

Tom nodded, closing all his eyes. He opened them again and Tord saw they were glowing a bright purple. A dark shadow-like smoke enveloped him, radiating out from his chest. His form shifted and morphed as Tord stared. He seemed to be getting shorter as the outline of his horns and tail disappeared. His eyes were still glowing a bright purple through the smoke. The eyes that covered his body closed again as the smoke cleared. Tom's eyes faded back to their normal black.

He looked a lot different without the horns and scales that covered his body. He had gotten shorter and looked a lot softer. There was still this glint about him that hinted he wasn't quite human. But other than that, he looked pretty normal. Save for the black eyes and tunic.

"Woah.." Tord muttered. Tom was seemingly more handsome than before. 

"You like it?" Tom asked. Tord nodded quickly. Tom chuckled as Tord sat back down next to him. 

"Looks like we can actually go out now, eh?" Tom said.

"Go out?" Tord questioned, blushing.

"Like, outside." Tom said. He laughed and ruffled Tord's hair. "You're weird."

"Oh. Well-so are you." Tord said. "We could go out..but not when you're dressed like that. You need some actual clothes."

"I don't think anything you have would fit. You're so tiny." Tom said.

"Oi." Tord said, punching Tom in the arm. Tom wrapped an arm around him, pulling him in closer.

"Hey! Lemme go!" Tord whined, squirming around. Tom had a really strong grip.

"That's what you get for punching me. Maybe if you apologized..?" Tom said, looking down at Tord and grinning. 

"I'd really rather let you eat my soul, thanks." Tord grumbled. 

"I mean, if you really want to spend the rest of your life on this couch.." Tom said. 

Tord groaned, going limp. "Okaaaay. Fine. I'm sorry." 

Tom let him go altogether and Tord wheezed, nearly falling off the couch. Tom laughed as Tord gripped the cushions. Tom offered a hand and Tord took it. Tom helped him back up and held him again, but not as tight. Tord flopped onto Tom's lap. he was just as feverishly warm as he was in his demon form. Tord liked it.

"Hey, Tom. What's it like in hell?" Tord mumbled.

"Hot." Tom said. "Dark. Lots of screaming. Think of the worst cave you've ever been in." 

"What if I've never been in a cave?" Tord mused.

"Then think of it like this: you're stuck in your closet with no way out and there's a fire. You slowly burn to death terrified and alone. That's every moment in hell." Tom said.

"Oh..okay, darker than I expected." Tord said. 

"Eh. You get used to it." Tom said. "So what about you? You never really told me a lot about yourself. I did notice you have an accent, though."

"Oh, yes. I'm from Norway. I moved here when I was young and lived here since. I do still visit Norway sometimes, though." Tord said.

"Norway, huh? You like it?" Tom asked. He didn't even really notice he had started gently petting Tord's hair.

"Yes! It's very cold, however. I don't think you would like it much." Tord said. 

"Nope." Tom said. "Is Norway where your little army is stationed?"

Tord froze up. Tom snickered.

"Predictable." He said. He would roll his eyes if he could.

"Shut it." Tord snapped. They were both silent for a little.

"Remember when I told you I'd help out your army?" Tom asked.

"Mh."

"I was serious. If you want me to help you guys, I can." Tom said.

"Why, though? There's nothing in it for you." Tord said.

"I guess I just want to see what happens before it all goes up in flames." Tom shrugged. Tord sneered. 

"Do you want to help us? Or are you just going to mock us?" Tord snapped.

"Calm down. I really will help you." Tom reassured. Tord huffed and pressed himself further into Tom's lap. 

Tom was weird. He had this odd monotony about him. He was cheeky. Kind of rude. Hard to work with. 

And Tord loved it.

He loved all of Tom's quirks. How he was so wrong but so perfect. His looks, his mystery, everything. Tord gripped a little of Tom's tunic as he realized what predicament he was in.

He had a crush on a demon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i broke thge microwave yesterday hello


	3. This Should Be Fun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tord decides it's time for Tom to meet his friends. It doesnt go well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im still alive!  
> but like not for long. because im goin to camp until august 2nd  
> im not abandonignt his fic im just gonna be away from internet now

Tom lay curled up in his nest, resting among Tord's clothes. He liked Tord's scent. It was smoky and heavy. It was very familiar and being surrounded by it reminded him of Hell. Just a lot less burning and suffering. 

He was enjoying himself when he was suddenly smacked in the face with something. His vision was obscured by something light blue and..soft?

Tom pulled the garment off of his head and looked down at it, then up at the man who had threw it at him.

Tord stared down at him impatiently. "Get up, you can't laze around all day."

"What's this for?" Tom asked, inspecting the blue fabric. It was like a long sleeved shirt but with a hood. It looked just like the one Tord always wore, but blue. 

"It's a hoodie. I don't know how clothing works in Hell, but here you can't wear the same thing every single day." Tord said.

"You do." Tom pointed out. "I haven't seen you take off that hoodie once."

"Yes, and I've been the subject of many lectures from my friend about 'fashion'." Tord snorted. "So I'm not the best example to follow."

"I guess." Tom said. He stood up, holding the hoodie up to him. "This isn't gonna cover everything." 

"You can get a pair of pants out of my closet. Whatever fits. And anything in the terms of socks and underwear is free game. I'm pretty sure I have an old pair of boots around here, too.." Tord said.

"Underwear?" Tom asked, glancing down at the bottom of his tunic. 

"Underwear. Undertøy. Do you not-? Oh my god, thats gross." Tord said, a light pink blush crossing his face. 

"My tunic's long enough! Just-lemme get changed." Tom said, waving Tord out of the room. Tord more than happily left. He didn't know what to do with the information that Tom wasn't wearing anything underneath that short little tunic this whole time. Go to the living room and rethink his life, maybe.

 

In the living room was just where Tord was when Tom walked in, fully dressed. He took a pair of Tord's black jeans and blue socks. He seemed to like the color of his hoodie, as Tord could see a hint of blue where Tom's fly was unzipped.

Tom looked really good in those clothes. The only thing off-putting were the black eyes. But Tord could easily get over that.

Tord walked over and crouched down, zipping Tom's fly for him. Tom seemed unsure of what he was doing and started babbling in confusion.

"It's fine, I'm just zipping it." Tord said cooly, standing back up.

"O-oh.." Tom said embarrassedly. He coughed to try to lighten the mood.

"Blue suits you. And lucky you, I found some old shoes from my high school days." Tord said, leading Tom to the living room and handing him the pair of shoes. They had a black and white checker print on them. Tord helped him put them on, because judging by how Tom was barefoot when he arrived, he didn't know much about footwear.

"So, why am I getting all dressed up, anyway?" Tom asked.

"I want to introduce you to my friends. I already told them I had a new roommate and they wanted to meet him." Tord said.

Tom tilted his head. Tord was silent for a few moments before confirming, "…that roommate is you. They want to meet you, Tom."

"Oh." Tom said. 

"And try not to tilt your head like that around them. You look like a dog." Tord said. Tom huffed. 

"Yeah? Well you treat me like one. So who's fault is that?" Tom said.

"Don't you get snippy with me, Thomas. It makes a bad first impression." Tord said, a smirk playing on his lips. Tom rolled his black eyes and shoved his hands into his pockets as he followed Tord out the door. 

 

Tord knocked on the door of a cute little yellow house and stood back, waiting for a reply. He looked over at Tom, who looked anxious. Tord gave him a reassuring smile. "You'll do fine." Tord promised.

The door opened and Tord was greeted by a short man in a green hoodie. 

"Tord!" He said, pulling Tord in for a hug. Tom chuckled as Tord awkwardly returned it, blushing. "Good to see you!"

"It's nice to see you too, Edd. This is my roommate, Tom." Tord said, introducing the tall man to his right.

"Tom! Nice to meet you. I'm Edd." Edd said, holding his hand out for Tom to shake. Tom seemed confused by the gesture and took a step back. Tord took Tom's hand and guided it to Edd's. Edd shook his hand as Tom's hand stayed limp. 

"You're really warm.." Edd noted. "Are you sick?"

"Uh-no. No, I'm just..always like that." Tom said quickly. "It's nice to meet you too, by the way."

 

"Oh, alright!" Edd smiled. "Well, come on in! Tom needs the signature house tour."

"Oh boy," Tord said, snickering. Edd grabbed Tom's hand and whisked him inside. 

"So this is the living room! There's a TV..some food-I swear, I told Matt to clean that up.." Edd said.

"For such a perfectionist, he sure does make a mess." Tord commented.

"Did I hear my name?" Someone called, popping their head out from the kitchen. 

"Yes, you did, Matt. You left your chips out here." Edd said.

"Sorry! I was gonna get to that.." Matt said, stepping out of the safety of the kitchen. 

"Go do it now, before you forget again. Tom, this is Matt. Edd's roommate." Tord said.

"Oh, Tord told us all about you!" Matt said excitedly. "Nice to meet you, Tim!"

"Tom." Tom muttered. He turned to Tord. "What exactly did you tell them?"

"Just what I told you. That you're my new roommate." Tord shrugged. Tom had a feeling Tord wasn't telling the whole truth.

"So, into the kitchen!" Edd said, leading Tom to the kitchen. It looked a lot like Tords'. Messy. Various foodstuffs everywhere. Why were there so many red cans?

"Edd is..sort of addicted to cola." Tord explained.

"So what? It's good." Edd said, swiping a can off the counter and cracking it open. 

"Aren't addictions bad?" Tom asked.

"I don't think this one is gonna end up killing him." Tord said. 

"I can't agree." Matt said, joining the three. 

"Addiction is a sin, though.." Tom said. "Yknow, the kind of thing you go to hell for?"

His statement was followed by awkward silence. Edd gave Tord a concerned look. Tord nervously laughed and patted Tom on the back. 

"Haha, that's Tom alright! Always with the dark jokes..ahah..ha.." 

"Riiight." Matt said. Edd looked over at him and noticed he was empty-handed.

"Matt! I told you to clean up your mess." Edd said.

"I'll do it laaateeeer." Matt whined.

"Dude, we have guests. Don't be rude." Edd said. Matt rolled his eyes. 

Tom stared at Matt. There was something odd about him. Tom slowly walked over to him as Edd and Matt argued.

"Why don't you just clean it up?" Matt asked.

"It's your mess, you need to be responsible for it." Edd said. 

"But you never clean up your colaa-AUGH!" Matt's voice grew high as Tom buried his face in Matt's neck and took a deep sniff. Matt's face flushed red as he stumbled away from Tom. He had a really sensitive neck.

"You don't have a scent." Tom said. "That's what was odd about you. Wash your clothes less. You're drowning out your scent."

Tord grabbed Tom's arm and pulled him out of the kitchen, yelling something that sounded like 'wellberightbackthanks'. Matt just stood there, looking flustered and rubbing his neck.

Tord grabbed Tom by the shoulders and pulled him down to Tord's height.

"Why. Did. You. Do. That." Tord bit out every word. 

"I-it's weird for a human not to have a natural scent! I was just trying to figure out why." Tom said, raising his hands in defense.

"You can't just DO that, Tom. It's weird." Tord said. "Not to mention an invasion of personal space."

"YOUR world is what's weird! Look, I..ok. Maybe it was unnecessary to do. But I was curious!" Tom said.

"Just go in there and apologize. We'll talk about this later." Tord sighed. Tom nodded and Tord let him go. Tom went back into the kitchen and tried to make himself look as small as possible, staring at the floor. 

"Um..sorry for sniffing you, Matt. It was really inappropriate." Tom said.

"I-It's okay!" Matt said. His face still looked quite flushed. "I'm just sensitive is all. No worries."

"Why don't I get you two something to drink?" Edd suggested. He was giving Tom a weird look. Tom didn't like it.

"Ah, sure!" Tord said, walking into the kitchen. 

"Is cola okay?" Edd asked. 

"When isn't it?" Tord chuckled. Edd laughed and pulled out two cans. He handed one each to the two men. 

"You two go find something on TV, we'll be out in a minute." Edd smiled. Tord led Tom out of the kitchen and back into the living room.

"You're lucky Edd knows how to keep his cool in situations like this." Tord said, bumping Tom's elbow.

"I just seem to be full of luck today, huh?" Tom mumbled.

Tord turned on the TV and Tom sat, immersed in the show playing. Tord had only shown him how a TV works a few days ago. Tom still thought this was the closest humans could get to magic.

Tom had nearly completely forgotten where he was when a conversation reached his ears. 

"…Tom, he's really weird, Edd!" Came Matt's voice. It sounded like they were right next to him. Tom wasnt confused as to what was happening. 

Demons come when you call them. If you talk about a demon, they're immediately tuned in to your conversation. Tom could hear what they were saying as clear as day even if they were a few rooms away and talking in panicked whispers.

"I know he's weird, but he's Tord's roommate. We can't be rude to him." Edd said. 

"He sniffed me! And he kept talking about death and sin and stuff..and don't even get me started on his eyes. What's wrong with him?" Matt complained.

"Maybe he had a weird religious upbringing. We don't know. And he may just be wearing contacts, did you ever think about that, Matt? Black sclera contacts exist." Edd reasoned.

"Black contacts are shiny. Tom's eyes aren't shiny! They're like holes. They're not normal eyes. Edd..what if Tom isn't a human? What if he's, like, a demon or something?" Matt said nervously.

"Matt. Demon's don't exist. You're being ridiculous." Edd said. But he didn't sound so sure himself.

Alright, this was getting too close for comfort for Tom. They were this close to figuring out the truth and he just couldn't have that.

Imagine the shock Tord got when one minute Tom was sitting next to him on the couch, and the next he had turned into a black shadow.

Tord jumped and stared at the smoky mass as it shot off the couch and into the kitchen. It slid across the floor and up the wall behind Edd. It was as if he had two shadows now. Tom's form stabilized and he stood fully human behind Edd.

"I don't think-" Edd started.

"'Sup." Tom said.

Both men screamed and Edd spun around, stumbling away from Tom. Matt gripped his chest, breathing hard. They both looked terrified.

"H-how did you-?" Edd stammered. There wasn't an alternate way into the kitchen. If Tom entered, they both would have saw him.

"I'm pretty good at sneaking around." Tom shrugged nonchalantly. 

A second later Tord was at the kitchen door, wheezing and staring at Tom in panic.

"Tord saw me come in. Right, Tord?" Tom asked, grinning at Tord with too many sharp teeth to be genuine.

"Y..yea..I saw that little trick, Tom. He's a real spy. Watch out for him." Tord chuckled, still trying to catch his breath.

"Oh." Edd said. He was quiet for a minute before laughing. "Wow, I'm dumb. I really thought you teleported for a minute there."

"Haha, yep, people do seem to think t-" Tom started.

"Tom, are you a demon?" Matt suddenly blurted. All eyes were on him. He was fidgeting with a hoodie string and looking at the floor.

"Hhaha, what? No." Tom said, laughing. "Why would you think that? Demons don't exist, silly." Tom said, patting Matt's head. Matt's face was red from embarrassment. 

"I-I'm sorry.." Matt said quietly.

"Matt..don't mind him, he's kind of an idiot." Edd sighed.

"Don't worry, it's fine. It's normal for people to jump to conclusions." Tom said, waving him off. He rubbed Matt's shoulder reassuringly. Matt shivered but did look a little better.

 

"Now, how about we all watch some TV?" Tom suggested. Matt smiled. Tord gave a sigh of relief.

 

The rest of the meet up went without a hitch. Everyone was laughing and having a nice time and Tom was honestly hesitant to leave. He liked Tord's friends a lot. He gave Edd a long hug and picked Matt up to hug him when it was time to go. He was still waving goodbye when Tord had to bodily drag him away from the front door. 

"I think that went pretty well." Tom said. Tord looked at him incredulously before snorting. 

"Sure." Tord said.

"It was my first time talking to anyone besides you. I did fine." Tom argued.

"Whatever you say, Tommy." Tord said.

"Tommy?" Tom mused. "Alright then, Tordy." 

Tord snickered. "So..why didn't you tell me you can turn into a shadow?"

"Didn't think it was important." Tom shrugged.

"Seriously?" Tord said.

"I have a lot of unimportant powers you don't know about. What's the point of letting you know the full extent of my abilities?" Tom asked.

"I don't know, maybe the fact that you're gonna be an important factor in my army and I NEED to know what you're capable of?" Tord said, eyes narrowing. "If you don't tell me what you can do, I have no choice but to run experiments on you to find out myself." 

"Is that a threat?" Tom said, suddenly rising up to his full height, several heads above Tord. He glowered down at the man, eyes starting to emit purple sparks.

Tord looked scared for a moment before shaking his head. "I didn't mean to threaten you. I'm sorry. I just need you to cooperate with me here, Tom." 

Tom sighed and shrunk back down to his human height. "I shouldnt have overreacted. Sorry." 

"It's fine. I completely understand why you did." Tord said, patting Tom's shoulder. Tord thought for a moment before suddenly hugging Tom. Tom looked surprised at this action.

"What are you-?" Tom questioned.

"I just..really want this to work. You're important to me." Tord sighed. Tom hesitated before returning the hug. 

"I do too." Tom said. "You're the most interesting human I've ever met." 

"Really?" Tord asked. "I'm just some..weird commie with big plans."

"Yeah. You are. But I like that about you." Tom said. Tom chuckled and pressed his face into Tom's chest. He looked up at the demon, smiling. 

"You're not some dark dangerous entity, are you? You're just a dork."

"Yeah, I am. But I'm your dork." Tom smiled

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yall remember when i had a different demon fic but the roles were reversed. what happened to that. i have NO idea eheheheheh,,,,,,,, whooops


	4. Confess, Confess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom's feeling feelings that just dont seem right. Feelings about a certain roomate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i lived?

Matt stretched, letting out a big yawn. He was standing in his dark room alone. Tord and his roommate, Tom, had just left a few minutes ago. Their little meet-and-greet had gone on late into the night and he was exhausted. But not physically. He may be chipper and happy, but too much socializing really wore him out. And he knew just what could refresh him.

Matt walked over to the little mini-fridge by his bed. He found his way easily despite the fact it was nearly pitch black outside. He could see well in the dark. He always could. 

He hesitated before opening the small door. His mind was still on Tom. He was weird. Friendly. But weird. Not even Edd could deny that. He just couldnt be human. 

But that was silly. Of course Tom was human. He was just an odd guy. Maybe he wasnt the most socially adept person.

Matt opened the fridge, squinting against the bright light that emitted from it. He grabbed a red bag from inside. Nothing wrong with a little midnight snack to tide him over.

Besides, it was O positive. His favorite.

Matt didn't even bother with the tube connected to the bag. He let his fangs elongate and bit into the plastic, drinking the delicious cold blood inside. He always liked it better warm, but who was he to complain?

Matt wiped away the bit of blood that dribbled from the corner of his mouth and tossed the bag carelessly into the trash can next to the fridge. 

Matt felt a lot better now that he had fed. He felt rather silly worrying about Tom, now.

After all, monsters don't exist, right?

 

___________________________________

 

Tord flopped onto Tom, stretching his small body over Tom's legs. The two were lounging on the couch and watching tv together. Tom still hadn't gotten over the first thrill of the wonderful world of television. He always sat entranced by it. But today was different. Now, he found himself more interested in Tord.

He glanced down at Tord, finding it cute how focused he was on the tv. He ran a hand through Tord's spiky hair and Tord hummed appreciatively, snuggling farther into Tom's blue hoodie.

Tom was feeling strangely towards Tord the past couple of days. Not like he had when he had first been summoned. When he first arrived, he found the tiny human amusing and just another distraction in his endless lifespan. But now saw Tord as more than just a way to pass time. He really cared about him. He enjoyed being around Tord. He liked watching Tord smile and he listened intently to his army rants. He was really starting to love the little commie.

Tom never knew the feeling, but he figured this was how it felt when a demon found a mate. 

Tord found himself suddenly picked up under the armpits. Tord threw Tom a quizzical look as the demon sat him up and made Tord face him on the couch. Tord couldnt even ask him what he was doing before Tom started rubbing his face all over Tord's chest and neck. Tord's cheeks flushed red at the sudden affection. He swore Tom even started purring as he buried his face in the crook of Tord's neck and took a big sniff. 

"T-Tom? What're you doing?" Tord asked, looking rather embarrassed.

"Mh. Marking my territory." Tom said simply. Tord sputtered, raising his hands up but not stopping as Tom continued to nuzzle his neck. He'd never had someone be so openly affectionate with him. It was strange but not unwelcome.

What was unwelcome was the sudden feeling of Tom's sharp, wolfish teeth on his neck. 

"W-wooah there, Tom." Tord said, pushing Tom back up. "Let's uh-not get so excited." 

Tom cocked his head, looking at Tord in confusion. "Oh, is that not appropriate for humans? Sorry." 

"I-it's fine..I just wasn't expecting it, is all." Tord stammered. He was still a red-faced mess. "If you weren't trying to..elicit something, what was all that rubbing about?"

"Like I said,marking my territory. Wouldn't want some hands demon trying to coerce you into a deal, would I?" Tom said.

"That can happen?" Tord questioned.

"Sure." Tom shrugged. "We don't have a contract. It's more of a mutual deal. No hand-shaking or promised souls or any of that. You're still free for the picking of other demons. And, well, I just can't have that." 

"Oh..so you're sort of..scenting me? Like an animal?" Tord asked.

"Yep. And at the same time, I'm getting your scent all over me. You smell really good. Like strawberries and gunpowder." Tom said. 

"Well, you smell like smoke.." Tord muttered, face totally red. He wasn't used to compliments.

Tom chuckled and nuzzled Tord's neck again. He pulled Tord into his arms and fell back onto the couch. Tord gave a surprised yelp as he fell onto Tom's chest. But he quickly calmed and cuddled into Tom. He loved how warm and snuggly he was. Tord could fall asleep here if he wanted. 

"Hey, Tord?" Tom asked.

"Hm?" 

"Do you..um..want to be my mate?" 

Tord looked up at Tom in surprise, sitting up. Tom was looking off to the side awkwardly.

"Uh-sorry, thats weird to ask while you're on top of me-forget I said anything, I just got caught up in the moment-" Tom stammered.

"No, no, uh..I do want to. I want to be your mate." Tord said. He offered Tom a small smile. 

Tom looked shocked for a minute. But a smile slowly slid across his face and turned into a big grin. He sat up, nearly knocking Tord over, and hugged him tightly. Tom pulled away, laughing and still looking shocked.

"Oh, my g-my GOSH, I thought you'd hate me..because I'm a demon and all-you really don't mind that?" Tom questioned.

"Not a bit." Tord promised. "In fact, let me show you just how much I don't mind." 

Tord leaned forward and kissed Tom. Tom's eyes couldnt have been any wider. He didn't seem to know what to do, but he shut his eyes after a few moments and leaned into the kiss. Tom's mouth was hot, just like the rest of him. He tasted good. 

Tord pulled away and saw just how flushed Tom was. It was cute.

"Can..can we do that again?" Tom asked.

"We can do that whenever you want now that we're mates. But word to the wise, for humans, we call it being 'boyfriends'." Tord explained.

Tom leaned in and kissed him again. Tord couldn't remember being this happy in years.

 

______________________

If only that happiness could last forever. 

The house was dark. Pitch black. But Tord had taught himself a long time ago how to see better in the dark. Part of his army training. So he practically had his own night vision. Handy. 

He was crouched behind a corner, peeking out into the living room. Someone was in here. He knew it. He felt it. The house was cold and had a forboding feeling. Even though Tord knew he hadn't been spotted yet, he felt like someone was watching him. 

That's typically the feeling demons give off. 

Tord's eyes went wide and he held back a gasp as something was knocked over in the room. He slowly pulled his gun out of his pocket. Cocking it would make a noise, something he could not afford in the stark silence. He'd have to cock it once he found the demon and knew exactly where it was. It was hiding itself at the moment, however. Blending in with the shadows. 

Tord's heart was hammering as he slowly snuck out of the corner. He dashed over behind the couch, chest rising and falling rapidly. He was about the move again when the tv switched on. Loud static filled the room and light illuminated the couch. Tord mentally cursed and sunk lower to the ground, praying that the top of his head hadn't been seen. 

Tord moved slowly, ever so slowly, carefully looking past the couch at the tv. It was static, yes, but he could faintly see a face in the middle of the screen. No facial features could be made out, but two gnarled horns were visible. A dark voice suddenly growled out from the tv, 

"I know you're here, Tord." 

The face disappeared and a black figure suddenly rose up from behind the television. Tord's breath caught in his throat. No point hiding himself now. Tord stood up, pointing the gun at the figure. The tv suddenly turned back off, leaving the room completely black again. 

Tord's arms went slightly limp. His legs felt like jelly. He had lost his small advantage. Now the demon knew where he was, but Tord didn't know where it was. 

But he wasn't left in the metaphorical dark for long. An evil laugh rang through the room and Tord spun around. The demon was right behind him. Tord could make out his face in the dark.

Tom.

Fuck.

Tord's arms tensed as he cocked the gun and pointed it at Tom. Tom tutted and grabbed the gun. A sick crunch made Tord cringe as Tom crushed the gun in his hand. Tom pulled the useless gun right out of Tord's grip and threw it to the floor. 

"Cute. You really thought a gun could stop me? How naive. Even for a human." Tom purred. Tord snarled, eyes darting back and forth. Tom obscured Tord's view of the room by unfurling his wings. 

"No more running away, Tord. No more hiding. This is it. You were stupid to think you even had a chance against me. And now.." Tom's eyes glowed an evil purple. He grinned, showing all of his sharp teeth. 

"You're mine."

Tom flapped his wings, rising up into the air. He stretched his arms out and pounced onto Tord. Tord screamed as he was knocked to the floor. He felt Tom's energy rush through him as Tom grabbed Tord's chest. Tord gave a last weak cry before the room went blacker than it was before. He had lost.

 

Tom giggled. 

All the lights in the house turned back on at once. Tom stood up first, furling his wings back up. He reached a hand out to help Tord up, which he took. Tord groaned and rubbed his head. Tom laughed again.

"Youuuu looooost!" Tom called in a singsongy tone.

"Are all demons this annoying when they win a battle? Or is it just you?" Tord snipped.

"Believe me, I'm one of the more tolerable ones." Tom promised. 

"Well, you shouldnt expect me to win my very first fight against a demon. I didnt have a lot of advantages against you, even with my knowledge of your abilities. I think I did pretty well." Tord argued.

"You did do well, I admit it. But well isn't good enough. You still wouldve died in that scenario." Tom said.

"In what scenario would I have to fight a demon?" Tord asked.

"This isn't about demons. It's about your army. You need to be ready for a scenario where you don't have the upper hand. I don't want you to die because you're not at your best." Tom said. 

"I know, I know. You have to realize, demons are a lot stronger than humans. I'm sure that in a scenario like this one with a human, I'd come out just fine." Tord said.

"Well, still. I worry about you." Tom said, pressing a kiss to Tord's forehead. 

"If you cared about me a little more, you might have not destroyed my gun. Seriously, what the hell?" Tord grumbled, walking over to the useless weapon. Counterproductive.

"Sorry, Tord. Guess I got a little carried away." Tom said sheepishly. 

"It's fine." Tord sighed. "I guess I can't blame you. It was a very realistic scenario and your most feral instincts were at play. I'm just lucky that you didn't loose control and take my soul." 

Tom frowned. "You know I'd never do that. No matter how much control I have. I love you." 

"I love you too, Tom. I know you wouldn't, I'm not accusing you. I need to be paranoid is all. It's how I survive as a general." Tord said. He let Tom pull him into a kiss. When they pulled away, Tom was giving him a serious look. 

"We need to talk about that, Tord. The second you start getting somewhere with this army-not saying you haven't-then I think we need to make a contract. I need to keep you safe and the only way to do that is if I'm bound to you with more than love. I'll be able to sense where you are and feel if you're in danger. It's the best way to guarantee I can protect you." Tom said. 

"But..that would be promising my soul. When the day comes that I no longer need protection, you'll end up killing me. What would be the point?" Tord questioned.

"I'm not doing this just to get your soul. I really love you. I want to do this so you're safe. And if all your plans go right, then by the time I take your soul, you'll be long past retiring and no longer in any danger. I'll kill you, yes, but it wouldn't matter. You'd be so close to dying anyway." Tom said. 

"I..I need time to think it over, Tom. This is a big thing to commit to. I hope you understand?" Tord said. Tom nodded.

"Absolutely. Take all the time you need. No pressure." Tom said. 

"Well..not NO pressure." Tord said.

"Hm?" Tom asked.

"I..planned to show you these right after our simulated fight." Tord said. He pulled something out of his hoodie pocket.

Two plane tickets. To Norway. 

"I wanted to start our life in my army together as soon as possible..will you go with me?" Tord asked. His eyes were bright and pleading. Tom knew this was Tord's life work. All that he wanted. 

How could he say no?

"What about your friends?" Tom asked.

"I've already told them I'm going on an extended leave to visit family in Norway. I've been planning this for years, Tom." Tord said.

"Then let's not make you plan any longer." Tom said, smiling. 

Tord grinned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yknow what im admittin something. matt wasnt gonna be a vampire at first. he was just supposed to lack a scent because he wears so much goddamn perfume but yknow what. you all are smarter and more creative than me dammit. so heres ur vamp matt
> 
> also if the fakeout got you then you can mail all complaints to http://chaiteamaster.tumblr.com/


	5. Secrets and Lies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the Red Army

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im alive

"Gentlemen."

Tord stopped in the middle of the long, grey hallway. Tom was at his side. He looked out of place in just a blue hoodie and jeans. Tord was wearing a blue and red uniform that looked very official. Tom thought he looked very handsome in it. The shiny gold name tag on Tord's right breast pocket read 'Red Leader'. His title.

They had arrived in Norway the night before and Tord immediately brought them to the army base. It was a secluded little dome-like structure far off in the mountains. Hard to find if you weren't looking for it. Tom didn't know what he expected, but this was a lot more impressive than he thought it would be. Tord hadn't exactly talked down his army, but Tom didn't know it had such big numbers. It really was coming along.

Tord had stopped to regard two soliders who were making their way down the hallway in the opposite direction. The taller one with shoulder-length brown hair glanced up at Tord, still making conversation with the shorter man accompanying him. But he froze as he realized who was talking to him. He stopped, which made his accomplice stop as well. He looked up and his eyes went wide as he saw Tord.

"Red Leader." The tall man breathed, walking towards him. His short friend followed.

"Patryck. So good to see you." Tord said. He chuckled as the man, Patryck, pulled him into a tight hug. Tom was surprised at the lack of formality. But that wasn't all that surprised him. He squinted at Patryck, still hugging Tord. This reminded him of when he had first met Matt. Something was wrong. But he couldnt put his finger on it. Tom wrote it off as it just being odd a solider was regarding Tord in such a way. 

"Tord, we thought you wouldn't be returning for at least another month..what brought you back here?" The short man asked.

"I've finally found the man who can take our cause to new heights. You can thank him for making my deadline. Paul, Patryck, This is Tom." Tord said, smiling at Tom. Tom shuffled awkwardly. 

"Hey." He said. 

"Nice to meet you, Tom. Now, Red Leader, am I right in assuming that now we have Tom, we're going to finally find out how he can help? This whole process has left us in complete darkness." Patryck said.

"You think you'd tell your big important plan to your seconds in command, at least.." Paul muttered.

"You'd be right, Patryck. And I'm sorry, Paul, but the only way this would work was if it were an complete secret to everyone involved." Tord said.

Not to me, Tom thought. I'm your intimidation factor. You told me, like, ten times.

"I'll explain everything once we can talk in private. Paul, go up ahead and find us an empty meeting room. We'll be with you shortly." Tord said. Paul nodded and with a salute, he was off. Tord smiled. 

Tom noticed now that he had barely gotten a word in since he'd came here. But neither had anyone else, really. Tord seemed to have utter control. He was wholly respected as a general. Even by his friends.

But if Tord thought that Tom would be as obedient and submissive, he'd be out of his goddamn mind.

"So, Patryck, how has the army been since my absence?" Tord asked. He started at a brisk pace down the hall. Tom and Patryck followed him. 

"Thriving. Paul has personally overseen the training of over 50 new recruits, and there's a territory in Finland that I'd like you to consider the possibility of taking over." Patryck said.

"Excellent. I can always count on my seconds in command." Tord said.

Tom, who was getting bored of the professionalism of this all, decided to move from Tord's side over to Patryck's. But the second he got close to Patryck, he nearly felt his heart stop.

He realized what was wrong. 

Why Patryck had seemed so..off.

His scent.

It wasn't human. Not even close.

That wasn't the worst part. It wasn't human but it was familiar. Tom knew why. 

It was the scent of a demon. 

Tom actually stopped walking, freezing in shock. His mind was buzzing with panic and confusion. Why was a demon enlisted in an army? And why was he Tord's second-

He was Tord's second in command. Oh no. 

"Tom?" Tord asked. Tom snapped out of his fearful trance. Tord was looking back at him concernedly. 

"Why did you stop?" He asked.

"Uh-I-thought I saw something. Just a shadow. Don't worry." Tom said. He was glancing anxiously from Tord to Patryck, the latter of whom was giving him a look of..dark amusement?

If Tom could smell him, he could smell Tom. Oh, he knew. He absolutely knew. This was bad.

"Well, come on. Wouldn't want to be late to our meeting, would we?" Tord asked.

"Actually, Red Leader..I believe I know why Tom is jumpy. This is a foreign environment for him and he's bound to be nervous. I think that knowing he has a safe room to stay in would calm him down. All I need is ten minutes to get Tom settled in a room, and we can commence with our meeting. Do I have your permission?" Patryck asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Hm..that is a good idea. But you don't need to bother with finding him a room. Just show him where my room is and give him the key code. I'll take care of all his necessities myself." Tord said. 

"Oh, really?" Patryck said. Tom didn't like the slight smirk playing on his lips. He didn't think Patryck should know all the details of his and Tord's personal life. "Well, I'll take him right away, sir." 

Patryck motioned for Tom to follow him and Tom hesitantly did so. The idea of being alone with Patryck made him nervous. He hadn't said even five words to the guy and already, he hated him. 

Patryck led Tom down a few hallways before they stopped in front of a big, metal door. A Red symbol was painted above it. There was a keypad next to the door.

"It's 2-0-0-8." Patryck said, typing the password in. A little light on the pad flashed green, and the door opened. "Now, Tom, why don't we go inside? I'd like to talk to you."

Tom swallowed hard. "W..why?" He asked.

"What, I can't be friendly with our newest recruit? I'd just like to learn some more about you." Patryck said, shrugging. Tom huffed and followed him inside. Patryck shut the door behind them.

"Alright, we're away from any cameras or mics. You can drop the act now. I know what you are." Tom snapped.

"And I know what you are. Shame that human forms can't mask demon scent, eh?" Patryck chuckled. 

"Shut up. I want answers. You're a demon, and yet you enroll in a human army and become the second in command. Surely even you realize how suspicious this looks?" Tom asked.

"Of course I do. It's not in demonic nature to integrate oneself into human society. Even less help their causes. So, obviously, you think I have something planned." Patryck said.

"Yeah. I do. I think you're getting close to Tord so you can kill him and take over this army. And do who-knows-what after that." Tom snarled.

"Hm. You immediately jump to the conclusion I want to kill Tord. Which means you care about his well-being. Tell me, Tom, do you know how dangerous it is to love a human? Yes, I already know of your relationship status. It's obvious. Tord won't share his room with just anyone but someone he really, really trusts. So now let me ask you: are YOU getting close to Tord so you can kill him and take over this army? Because that's how it looks to me." Patryck said, glaring at Tom.

Tom was taken aback. He was right to hate this smartass demon. 

"That's not why I'm here! Tord summoned me in the first place so I could be his weapon. An intimidation factor for his army. Someone immensely powerful that would bring you all to victory. All I was to him was a plan. But then we fell in love. Simple as that. That's what he was going to tell you in the meeting. Now, you're avoiding my question. Why are you here?" Tom was getting more pissed off by the second. If Patryck didn't explain soon, Tom may loose control of his human form. 

"Well, believe it or not, I'm not here because of malicious intent. I'm here because of MY human lover." Patryck said. 

Tom's eyes went wide. "What? But-you said-"

"That it's dangerous to love a human? It is. But I like danger. That's why I'm here. When he said he wanted to start an army with Tord..I couldnt let him do it alone. So I threw away my life as a demon and joined him. That's just how much I loved him." Patryck explained.

"Wait..if he started the army with Tord..and you're one of the seconds in commands..Paul?" Tom asked.

"Paul, yes." Patryck said.

"Does he know? About you?" Tom asked.

"No. I was summoned by someone else, and I took their soul after our contract was completed. I roamed the earth after that and I met Paul. It was love at first sight. We've been together ever since. I can't imagine a life without him. I'm sure you feel the same way about Tord." Patryck said.

Tom nodded. "I do..but I want to make a contract with him. To ensure his safety. In a position like this, he's in so much danger. I can't let him die. We need a contract." 

A dark smile crept across Patryck's lips. "Don't. You. Dare. I'm as close to Tord as a demon can be. Not counting you. And if I get even a whiff of a contract on him, you won't live to see the next morning. Hell is nothing compared to what I've got in store for you if you touch him. Got it?" 

Tom took a deep breath in and out. "Got it." He said. "So, what. Are we, like, enemies now? Two demons in one space, all that?" 

"I don't see why we have to be. I think we'll get along just fine." Patryck smiled. There was something dark behind it.

"Not likely." Tom grunted. Patryck shrugged and gave him a last amused look before saying, "We should get back to Tord and Paul. I imagine they're expecting us." 

Tom nodded. 

He really hoped this meeting went quickly.

\---------------

Opening a meeting by saying "Let's assume demons exist." is probably not the best way to do so.

However, that's just what Tord did. 

Paul looked rather confused through the whole meeting, but still held onto Tord's every word. Patryck looked mildly amused. Tom really wished Patryck wiped that smug grin off his face. Or he'd do it for him.

Then Tord introduced Tom as a demon.

And Tom wished, for once, Patryck would help him out. 

Tord made him shift into demon form in front of the two. Paul looked absolutely shocked. But Patryck looked impressed.

"Oh." Paul said. "You..were serious, Red Leader." 

"Of course I was." Red Leader said matter-of-factly.

"Honestly, for about five minutes I thought you were high. Really high." Paul said. Tord laughed as Patryck looked Tom up and down. 

"Hm..from your human form, I thought you'd be tiny. But you look like quite a strong demon.." Patryck muttered.

"Shut it." Tom hissed.

"Very good Tom, you may shift back. Now, what happened in this room today will stay a secret. I'm not ready to reveal Tom's true nature to my army yet. You two must promise your silence." Tord said.

"We promise." Patryck and Paul said at the same time.

Tom had never felt so exposed in his eternal life.


	6. It All Came Crashing Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some humans are harder to handle than humans.  
> Tom is reaching the end of his rope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And then it all went to shit
> 
> Sorry lol

Crack.

Crack.

Crack.

Target after target was destroyed as the black shadow shot across the room. It only stopped briefly at each target, which were lined across the walls. Each little target caved in at the middle and nearly cracked in half as the shadow attacked. It soared across the room, destroying every target in its path. From an observation deck, a man in a blue uniform was watching. He was nodding in approval, scribbling some notes down on a clipboard.

Crack. 

Only after every target in the room was destroyed did the shadowy mass slow. It floated to the center of the room. The top of it tilted up to the observation deck, as if looking at the uniformed man.

"Excellent. Well done, Tom. You may shift back into demon form." Tord said into the microphone. The speakers crackled into the room and the black, wispy figure quickly gained form. Tom sighed and stretched his wings. 

"You know, I dont need you to tell me when to shift back. Im not a dog." Tom said.

"And yet you continue to act like one. Weve had this conversation before." Tord daid. He was barely focused on Tom, instead surveying the room in a delighted frenzy. His eyes shot around, taking in all the destruction. Wood splinters covered the floor and some targets had been hit so ferociously they were almost smoking. Tom's power was amazing. Intoxicating, almost.

Tom huffed. He didnt like how Tord was so commanding now. Controlling. Apathetic. 

Different.

Once the two had traveled to this little army base of his, Tord had completely changed. He wasnt sweet or tender. He was rough. He didnt seem to care about Tom much anymore. He only viewed Tom as his perfect weapon. It was putting their relationship in jeparody. 

Tom knew that Tord was a brutal man. He had to be tough to get his army this far. He probably had blood on his hands. But hed just never acted that way before. Tom was finally seeing how Tord really was, behind all the soft words and warm kisses. And he didnt like it.

Patryck had been able to give up his life as a demon for Paul. Tom didnt think he could do the same thing. Demons arent meant to be chained down. Controlled. Submissive. Contracts are different. Theyre still in control of whatever happens to them. Being like this. Being controlled by Tord and treated like an animal. 

It was killing him.

Tord was killing him. 

The door to the chamber opened and Tom quickly left. He felt unsafe being watched by the scrutinizing eyes of Tord. He stepped past Paul, who had opened the door, and walked quickly down the hallway. He thought he was going to be able to make it back to his bedroom before hearing Tord's voice.

"Tom. Where are you going." 

It wasnt a question. It was a statement. It spoke very clearly, 'you're disobeying orders I havent given you and I dont like that.' 

"To..my room?" Tom asked. He cautiously turned back to face Tord, who was about ten feet away from him. 

"Your training isnt done yet."

"Paul opened the door."

Tord's eyes shot back at Paul.

"Tom's training was scheduled to end at 10:00. I was just following orders, sir." Paul said.

Tord snarled. "Fine. I guess your training is done. I have a meeting to attend. Just go back to your bedroom." 

That's where Tom was planning to go anyway. But it didnt seem so appealing now that he was ordered it. "Its my bedroom, too." 

Tord didnt say anything to that. It was Tom's queue to leave. 

Another unspoken order.

Tom was getting really tired of those. They just accentuated Tord's absolute power and control over everything. 

But Tom still followed them. He didnt know why. He was a demon. A being with endless unbridled rage and fury. Sparks at his fingertips and fire in his lungs. He could tear Tord apart if he wanted. End his life with a snap of his fingers. Rule this army himself. Patryck couldnt stop him then. No one could. No one can stop an enraged demon unless they want to add to the body count. 

But.

Tom didnt.

Because he loved Tord. Probably always would. Despite how he was treated. Until the very end.

Or until Tord gave him a reason not to.

Tom trudged down the hall. He couldnt sleep, but it sounded very appealing right now. To escape from the stress and annoyances that plagued his life here in the base. He remembered how excited he was when Tord announced they were leaving. Those days seemed far, far in the past now.

Tom was ready to resign himself to the fact he may end up crying in his room for the first time in his existance when he crashed headlong into someone.

He stumbled back, looking up at the man wildly.

Patryck.

"You werent there a second ago." Tom said.

"So I wasnt." Patryck said. "You arent the only person here who can turn into a shadow. Which, I might add, was quite the impressive display. I watched the whole thing. You're much better at that than I am." His tone was too perfect. Too fake. He was playing nice. Softening a blow that Tom didnt even realize was hit until he found himself relaxing at the words. Patryck knew something was wrong. 

"Why are you here? Talking to me? You put the effort into transforming just to see me, so.." Tom said. He avoided saying the obvious. How did you know I was falling apart? 

"Your scent has changed. Its distressed. Depressed. I want to know why. Youre living with the man you love every single day. Getting all of his attention. You should be elated." Patryck said.

"This..life. In the army with him. Its nothing like I imagined. Back at his home, he was so kind to me. So incredibly loving. Now he just..treats me like shit. Like I'm just a weapon he's testing out." Tom said.

"But you are." Patryck said sharply.

Tom flinched. 

"I know. I just thought that our relationship would last through it. I dont think he cares about me anymore. This army..its consuming him." Tom said.

"He's a general. He has to be cold. You arent his first priority anymore. I went through the same thing with Paul. But it was easier for me..he was apathetic in the first place. It didnt take much to stitch up what broke between us." Patryck said.

"But Tord isnt Paul. He wasnt like this just a few months ago. This isnt him." Tom said.

"Thats where youre wrong. This IS him. Being away from the army made him go soft. Hes finally showing his true colors again. And just how much this is affecting you, Tom..it concerns me." Patryck leaned in close to Tom's face. "I think that youre only a demon because its what youre born as. You cant understand the capacity to hurt. To be hurt. You feral instincts are the closest youll ever get to feeling how Tord feels every day. Tord is more like a demon than you." 

Tom took an involuntary step back.

"Are you calling me a coward?" He snapped.

"No. I dont think youre a coward. You have no problem rising to the occasion. But I do think you're scared. And you know what? I think Tord is the person youre scared of." Patryck said. 

Tom jolted. No. He wanted to call Patryck stupid, tell him hes not fucking scared of Tord. But..saying it didnt feel right. It felt like a lie. Was he? Was he really scared of Tord?

"He's stopped caring for you and now hes a threat to you. You feel trapped. Like a caged animal. No one to love and no one to rely on. So youre scared."

Patryck was far too close for comfort now. His hawk-like yellow eyes bore into Tom's black ones. Tom could distantly feel his legs shaking. Like they werent connected to his body. He felt like he was floating. Someone was finally explaining how he felt and why and.

Oh god it was much worse than being uncomfortable and confused. He wished he had been left in the dark.

"You can fix this, Tom. You need to stop being scared and start being furious." A dark grin stretched across Patryck's face. His eyes glowed a burning hot yellow. 

"But, you-you said not to hurt Tord." Tom said.

"No. I said not to make a contract with him. Demons thrive off chaos, Tom. Id love to see a good fight for dominance. Prove youre really a demon. Demons dont have masters. Take that title away from Tord and we'll talk." And with that, Patryck walked off. Tom slumped. Like Patryck's harsh truth was the only thing holding him up.

At a loss of anything else to do, he trudged the rest of the way to his and Tord's shared bedroom and entered the code.

\--------------

Tord came in a few hours later. Tord was sitting in the same place he was since he entered the room. The corner of the king-sized bed. But he stopped staring blankly at the ceiling and his attention was focused all on Tord.

The door shut behind him and Tord sighed. He shrugged the blue coat off and let it fall to the floor. He cracked his neck and looked over at Tom.

"Long meeting?" Tom asked. Tord gave a small but sharp nod. Nothing more. There was silence for a few seconds and the phone in Tord's coat pocket rang. He fished it out from it's spot on the floor and answered, walking to a corner of the room.

"Hello?"

Tom was listening intently, tail swishing back and forth behind him. 

"Oh! Edd! Ah..yes, yes, I'm doing fine!" Tord said.

Tom perked up immedietly. Edd? Edd! Finally. A non-hostile prescence.

"Yes, Norway is very fun. Very cold, too! Just like you remember it? Ha.." 

Tord's happiness was fake. He was too good at sounding genuinely happy. It was unnerving.

Edd didnt deserve Tords fake happiness.

Tom needed to talk to him. He needed Edd. Someone, anyone that didnt make him feel alone. 

"Have I..talked to Tom lately? Um..no, I-" Tord tried.

"I'm right here!" Tom burst. He couldnt help it. If he didnt talk to someone nice soon, he may snap.

There was a bit of excited banter on the other end if the line as Tord begrudgingly brought the phone to Tom. He put it on speaker right before he did, though, giving Tom a dark look.

"Tom! Long time no see! Well, I mean, long time no chat." Edd's muffled voice said. Tom chuckled. He felt right at home again.

"I didnt know you were staying with Tord in Norway! Didnt know you two were that close, ha..Matt thought you were kidnapped for a bit when you went totally quiet." Edd said.

"He may be right, living with Tord is alot like being kidnapped." Tom joked. The dark, warning look Tord shot him made him decide he wouldnt make jokes like that again. 

"Haha! Yea, i get that. So what have you two been doing? Tord hasnt answered my calls in weeks." Edd said, a hint of worry in his voice.

Weeks. Tom paused for a minute, letting that sink in. He didnt have a phone. Tord didnt answer his for. Weeks. Ignored every call from his friends for weeks. Probably watching as it rung and rung, not touching it.

Tom could never do that. 

"Oh, uh, yknow. Its been busy here. Very busy. Moving in, getting settled, jobs." Tom said. 

"Oh! What kind of jobs? I never really knew what you liked, Tom. Where do you wanna work?" Edd asked. 

Tord didnt like that Edd was pressing for information. Edd was worried about them. 

Tord didnt care. He had more important things on his mind.

He made a motion for Tom to hurry it up.

"Um-dont know yet. Look, Edd, I have to go." Tom said.

"Oh..well, thats fine. Maybe we can call again soon?" Edd asked.

"Sure, I'd love t-"

Tord jabbed the 'end call' button and snatched the phone away. Tom saw the flash of the screen and saw the call had only been two minutes. He felt awful. He was silent for a bit more as Tord kicked his coat into the closet.

"Why did you lie about me being with you to Edd?" Tom asked. Tord looked back at him.

"Tom, your status as our weapon demands the utmost secrecy. The less people know about you, the better." He said.

"But Edd and Matt know about me. What, did you think theyd just forget about me once I disappeared?" Tom asked, irritated.

Tord paused for a moment.

"You should have never met in the first place. It was a mistake on my part." Tord said. 

Tom flared up immedietly. "Tord. Red fucking Leader. You do not own me. You cant decide who I make friends with. You cant control what I do. And I am not your fucking pet." He spat. Tom had never consecutively cursed so much in his life.

Tord turned around fully. His face was full of cold rage. Good, Tom thought. Something other than indifference.

"Are you forgetting your place? I am your leader. I can control whatever part of you I want." Tord said.

"No. You cant. Because we dont have a contract, you stupid fuck! Did you forget that little detail, oh powerful Red Leader?" Tom demanded. His chest was heaving up and down. Tord looked taken aback. Tom stood up on the soft bed, his wigs steadying him. His tail flicked dangerously. Purple sparks danced at the corners of his eyes. He was pissed off.

Tord recognized a threat when he saw in. No matter who it was, or whatever form it was in. His hand shot to his pistol, which was still in the holster at his side. Tom snarled. No. 

He lauched himself at Tord, crashing into him hard. Tord fell to the floor. Tom reacted quicker than him, finding purchase in Tord's neck. He wrapped his hands around his throat, squeezing hard. 

Tord choked, thrashing under him. Tom's eyes were glowing a bright purple. His fangs were bared, slowly dripping saliva down his chin. Seeing Tord like this, in such a vulnerable position under him, reminded himself of how starved he was. He hadnt fed on a human since hed been summoned.

This was all too familiar to Tord. Being beaten by Tom. It was just like that night they had their simulated fight. When Tord had showed Tom the tickets to Norway. They had been so happy..

But this wasnt simulated. This was real. And Tom wasnt letting up. His grip was strong around Tord's throat. His face was turning red, then a slight blue. His fingers twitched weakly for his gun, but Tom swatted the hand away with his tail.

Tom could feel Tord's heart beating in his neck. His soul was so close, so close. He could feel its essance getting stronger as the life drained from Tord. Yes. Finally. He was in control again. 

"T-Tom...p..plleease.." Tord wheezed. 

And then it all came flooding back to Tom. Who the quickly dying man under him was. How they had loved and kissed and talked for hours. How they had lived. The sneering cold indifference Tord gave him but how he didnt care, hed still give Tord the world on a platter.

This. Wasnt right.

Tord couldnt die at Tom's hands.

Not yet.

Tom quickly scrambled back and Tord hunched over, gasping and coughing hard, he was wheezing so violently Tom thougt he would throw up. His eyes were blurry with tears and there was spit dribbling from his mouth. There were angry red marks around Tord's neck that were quickly turning purple.

Tord was shaking.

Tom was shaking. 

Tord carefully stood up, legs almost too weak to stand. He managed to sit himself down on the bed. He didnt look at Tom.

The confused anger Tom had felt towards Tord had evaporated. All he felt was guilt.

He...shouldnt have done that.

Shouldnt have been so quick to anger. Shouldnt have been so quick to be furious. Tord was still Tord.

Tom tried to stand but his legs actually did give out. The adreneline was wearing off and he was absolutely drained. He stood up on his second try, wobbling a bit, and sat down on the bed as well. A few feet away from Tord. There was complete, shocked silence for two whole minutes. 

Neither said a word to eachother. Tord opened his mouth once as if to speak, but nothing came out. His eyes were red from crying. 

Tom said the first words after what seemed like an eternity.

"Tord..we need to talk."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IDK WHY THIS IS SO ANGSTY  
> send all complaints of me writing out of character to chaiteamaster.tumblr.com

**Author's Note:**

> pizza pasta but it in a box deliver it to my house and put it in my cock my cock my cock my cock my cock my cock my cock cheesy on my peeny and sauce on my balls


End file.
